The invention relates to a method for changing service data that are set up in one or more subscriber register nodes of a telecommunications network, that contain subscription-related data concerning subscribers of the network, and that can be altered by at least one message of a functional protocol, which message is sent to the or to one of the subscriber register nodes.
Telecommunications networks, in particular, telephone networks, are constructed as fixed networks or mobile radio networks. Such networks have inter-networked switching devices and other network nodes that serve for establishing and maintaining call connections between the subscribers of a network and for controlling and managing these functions and supplementary services realized in the network. In mobile radio networks, respective base stations are connected to the switching devices. With the aid of the switching devices, base station telecommunications terminals can be connected through a radio interface. These terminals enable network access for a subscriber of a mobile network. Furthermore, the switching devices are also set up for the gateway to further networks, e.g., a data transmission network or a fixed network.
One example of a mobile radio network is the prior art Global System for Mobile communications (xe2x80x9cGSMxe2x80x9d) network. The GSM network discloses the principle of realizing memory units in the network nodes within a mobile network, subscriber-specific data concerning the network-specific services being stored in each case in the memory units. One of these memory units is the home location register (xe2x80x9cHLRxe2x80x9d), which is generally situated at a fixed, defined location and in which the subscription data of the subscriber are stored. The subscription data relate to the registration of the subscriber and also the intelligent services to which the latter has subscribed and the service features assigned thereto. The subscriber identifies him/herself to the mobile network by a specific Subscriber Identity Module (xe2x80x9cSIMxe2x80x9d) identifier stored, for example, in his/her mobile unit or in a SIM card inserted into the terminal that is currently being used.
The signaling between the network nodes is effected with the aid of functional protocols provided for this purpose, depending on the fixed or mobile network under consideration, such as, e.g., the Intelligent Network Application Part (xe2x80x9cINAPxe2x80x9d) protocol, the CAMEL Application Part (xe2x80x9cCAPxe2x80x9d) protocol, or the Mobile Application Part (xe2x80x9cMAPxe2x80x9d) protocol, in accordance with the prior art GSM standards.
In many telecommunications networks, not only the basic services are set up, such as, e.g., the telephone and facsimile service of a telephone network, but also further services are set up. These further services are referred to below as supplementary services. A network subscriber can address the supplementary services if the subscriber has subscribed to them. Supplementary services may be, inter alia, services that supplement the basic services, e.g., call diversion, management-oriented services, e.g., interrogation of the call charges accrued by a subscriber, or application services based on the basic services, e.g., a bank accounting service. In an intelligent network there is often a dedicated network node provided for management and implementation of the services. The network node is referred to as a service control station or Service Control Point (xe2x80x9cSCPxe2x80x9d) or, in particular, in the CAMEL standard for GSM networks, a CAMEL Service Environment (xe2x80x9cCSExe2x80x9d). The service control station is generally different from the switching devices of the intelligent network.
Specific service-related data can be changed by the relevant subscriber him/herself. This applies, in particular, to the data concerning the supplementary services to which the subscriber has subscribed. The services are changed, after all, by the subscriber in the course of activating/deactivating a supplementary service, e.g., when setting up a call diversion, the service data specifying the presence of a call diversion and also the associated destination address.
In this regard, service data change is performed by the subscriber by a message exchange in the telecommunications network between the subscriber, through the subscriber""s terminal, and the telecommunications network. The messages in the network ultimately are forwarded to the home location register assigned to the subscriber, where they are processed.
During the change of the subscription data, the message exchange is effected with the aid of dedicated user-service signaling. For example, the use of a dual-tone multi-frequency method (xe2x80x9cDTMFxe2x80x9d) interface is known, in which, however, only numbers and a few special characters can be transmitted. In a GSM network, the service of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (xe2x80x9cUSSDxe2x80x9d) can be used, for example. The use involves special signaling, which can be initiated in phase 2 of the USSD service in both directions between terminal and network service. A further example is the use of message elements of the Intelligent Network Application Part protocol (xe2x80x9cINAPxe2x80x9d). The protocol was originally designed for network-internal communication between switching centers and a service control station, but can also be used for user-service signaling. The various signaling possibilities can, in principle, be combined with one another.
It is not readily possible for a subscriber to change the service data associated with his/her subscriber connection from a third-party connection, that is to say, a different terminal or a terminal having a third-party SIM identifier. Setting-up of an uncomplicated possibility of this type, which should also allow cross-network messaging, has not been implemented previously because those skilled in the art considered that changes to the programming of the home location registers would be necessary for this purpose. Such changes would have entailed, overall, an unacceptable complexity on the part of the network operators.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for changing service data that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and that demonstrates a way in which the change of service data can be carried out, in particular, for supplementary services from a third-party connection, without the change necessitating intervention in the programming or hardware of the relevant home location register.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for changing service data, including: setting up service data in at least one of subscriber register nodes of a telecommunications network, the service data containing subscription-related data concerning subscribers of the network and the service data to be altered by at least one message of a functional protocol; sending the at least one message of a functional protocol to the at least one of the subscriber register nodes; generating with a terminal of the network a handler message, based on a specific command input by a user on the terminal, the handler message being independent of the functional protocol and having identification information concerning a subscriber of the network and change information regarding a nature and scope of a change of the service data of the subscriber; sending the handler message with the terminal to a service control point of the network; using, with the service control point, the handler message to determine the identification information and the change information and, based on the identification information and change information, generating at least one protocol message corresponding to the functional protocol and containing command information for changing the service data, and sending the at least one protocol message to at least one of one of the subscriber register nodes and a subscriber register node to which the subscriber is assigned; and evaluating, with the at least one subscriber register node receiving the at least one protocol message, the at least one protocol message for initiating the changes specified in the at least one protocol message.
Objectives of the invention are achieved by a method of the type mentioned in the introduction in which, according to the invention, based on a specific command input by a user on a terminal of the network, the terminal generates a handler message (independent of the functional protocol) with identification information concerning a subscriber of the network. The handler message also contains change information regarding the nature and scope of the change of service data of the subscriber. The terminal sends the message to a service control point of the telecommunications network. The service control point uses the handler message to determine the identification information and the change information and, based on the information, generates at least one protocol message that corresponds to the functional protocol and contains command information for changing the service data. The service control point sends the message to the subscriber register node or to that subscriber register node to which the subscriber is assigned. The subscriber register node then evaluates the at least one protocol message for initiating the changes specified therein.
The object of the invention is achieved in a simple manner by using the message that originates from the user and that is transmitted in a protocol-independent format and converting the message into a message of the functional protocol on the part of the service control points. At the same time, the realization of the method according to the invention does not require any new network components or protocols.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a subscriber identifier that identifies the subscriber or the subscriber""s terminal in the network is used as identification information in the handler message. For example, the information is a cross-network subscriber call number. Such configuration allows reliable identification of the destination subscriber regardless of the user""s connection or location, in particular, across network boundaries.
It is favorable for the service control points to perform an authorization check with regard to the specified changes. The authorization check can be done, in particular, by taking an authentication identifier from the handler message with the service control point and checking the identifier. Only if the result of the check is positive is at least one protocol message generated. The active authorization of the user can also be checked by having the service control point check the authorization of the user with respect to the change requested in the handler message. Only if the result of the check is positive is at least one protocol message generated. Furthermore, if necessary for security reasons, the service control point checks in an authorization dialog with the user the authorization of the user with respect to the change of the service data. The aforementioned authorization checks can, of course, also be combined with one another, the generation of the protocol message(s) being continued only if all the checks yield a positive result.
The invention""s method for changing service data is suitable, in particular, for being carried out in a telecommunications network that is configured as a mobile radio network, e.g., a GSM network, and in which the subscriber register nodes are realized as home location registers. In such a configuration, a USSD message may expediently be used as the handler message.
The invention may be embodied equally in a telecommunications network that is configured as a fixed network, in particular, an ISDN network.
In accordance with a concomitant mode of the invention, a container message realized in a keypad format is expediently used as the handler message, resulting in the input of characters through a simply configured terminal keypad.
Therefore, service data for subscribers of a telecommunications network are changed by messages of a functional protocol, e.g., of the MAP protocol, the messages being sent to the assigned subscriber register node. A command from a user for changing service data of a subscriber is sent as a handler message of, for example, a keypad protocol to a service control point of the network. The latter sends a message of the functional protocol with command information for changing the service data to the subscriber register node.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method for changing service data, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.